Mail-bag-receiving apparatus.



No. 882,293. PATENTED MAR. 17, 1908. L. H. BURCH. MAIL BAG RECEIVINGAPPARATUS.

L APPLICATION FILED NOV. 6, 1907.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l. I

1w: NORRIS PETERS cm, WASHINGTON, o. c.

No. 882,293. PATENTED MAR. 17, 1908. L. H. BURCH.

MAIL BAG RECEIVING APPARATUS.

APPLIOATION.IILED NOV. 6,1907.

wi tnuaeo MMAAA attenuate PATENT OFFICE.

LELAND ll. BURCH. OF DRYDEN, NEW YORK.

MAIL-BAG-RECEIVING APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented March 1'7, 1908.

Application filed November 6, 1907. Serial No. 400.915.

To all wk 0m it may concern:

Be it known that I, LELAND H. Brno/n, a citizen of the United States,residing at Dryden, in the county of Tompkins and State of New York,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Mail-Bag-ReceivingApparatus, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a mail bag receiving apparatus and has for itsobject to provide an apparatus of this character which may be locatedadjacent a railway track and in a position to receive mail bags from amoving train.

A further object of this invention is to provide an apparatus of thischaracter which will receive mail bags and securely hold the same untilthey have been removed by a station attendant.

Other objects and advantages will be apparent from the followingdescription and it will be understood that changes in the specificstructure shown and described may be made within the scope of the claimswithout departing from the spirit of the invention.

In the drawings forming a portion of this specification, and in whichlike numerals of reference indicate similar parts in the several views,Figure 1 is an end elevational view of the present receiving apparatusshowing a mail car in a position to deliver mail bags thereto. Fig. 2 isa top plan view. Fig. 3 is a vertical longitudinal sectional view of thereceiving apparatus. Fig. 4 is a horizontal sectional view on the line1*4 of Fig. 1 showing the position of the receiving fork in an operativeposition in full lines and in its inoperative position in dotted lines.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings, there is shown a mailbag receiving apparatus 5, which consists of a vertically extendingsupporting post 6, which is arranged with its lower portion embedded inthe ground, and this post is arranged adjacent a railway A, as shown.The upper end of the post 6 is recessed as shown at 7, and this recessedportion of the post is thus arranged to receive the headed end S of arevoluble bar 9. The bar 9 is provided upon the lower face of the head 8with a ball race 10 which is arranged to aline with a similar race 11which is formed in the upper end of the post 6 and which communicateswith the recess 7 therein. These races 10 and 11 respectively are thusarranged to receive antihictional bearings 13. The bar 9 is providedwith a l plurality of outwardly extending rods 14, four of these rodsbeing shown in the present instance, but it will of course be understoodthat any number of these bars may be employed. The outer ends of thesebars are provided with oppositely extending arms 15 and 16.

Pivotally mounted upon the two centrally located rods 14, there areshown cross bars 17, and these bars are provided with outwardlyextending stems 18, and upon these stems there are formed arms 19 and 20which are flared outwardly from the stems 18. Secured to the rods 14,there are shown coil retractile springs 21 and these springs are alsosecured at one of their ends to the stems 18. The construction of bars17 and their connecting arms 19 and 20 thus provide a convenient latchmember, and it will be seen that the arms 18 and 19 are thus arranged tolie one at either side of the rods 14. Upon delivery of a mail bag fromthe car B as shown in Figs. 1 and 2 it will be seen that the deliveryarms C and D which are carried thereby will be moved between the rods14, and a mail bag E which is carried by the arms C and D will strikeone or the other of the arms 18 or 19, and cause the bars 17 to swinginto a position to close upon the bag E. The springs 21 serving tosecurely hold the bag suspended as is obvious. It will be seen that bythe provision of a revoluble bar 9 to which the mail receiving means issecured the impact of a mail bag against the receiving means will causethe bar 9 to revolve, and in this manner the mail bags are received in aperfect condition.

It may be stated that the head 8 of the bar 9 is held to the post 5 bymeans of a threaded cap 22, and this cap is provided with upwardlyextending arms 23 and 24 which are connected to a bearing block 25. Thisblock 25 is provided with a passage 26 which is thus arranged to receivethe lower portion of the bar 9.

hat is claimed is:

1. The combination with a vertically disposed post having a ball race atits upper end, of a vertically extending bar revolubly connected withsaid post and having a portion disposed in said ball race, a cap engagedwith said post and with said bar, a plurality of spaced rods carried bysaid bar, and bag holding means carried by said rods.

2. The combination with a vertically dis posed post having a ball raceat its upper end, of a vertically extending bar revolubly connected withsaid post and having a portion disposed in said ball race, a pluralityof spaced rods carried by said bar, bag receiving means carried by saidrods, and means for normally holding said bag receiving means in areceiving position.

3. The combination witha vertically-disposed post having a revoluble barat its upper end, and a plurality of spaced .rods carried by said bar,of pivotally mounted forks carried by said rods, and means for holdingsaid forks normally with their open ends at one side of said rods.

4. A mail bag receiving apparatus com- 15 for holding said forks withtheir open ends 20 at one side of said rods. In testimony whereof Iaffix my signature, in presence of two witnesses.

LELAND H. BURCH.

Vitnesses:

CLINTON A. TRAPP, GEO. E. GOODRIOH.

